Acetylene-gas generator



Dec. 38, 11923.

E. M.-R OSENBLUTH ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet It Filed Feb. 17 1919 Dec. 18,1923;

E. M. ROSENBLUTH ACETYLENE ems GENERATOR 2 Meets-Sheet 2 iNVENTOR:

Patented Eco. 18, 1923.

' EDWIN M. ROSENBLUTH, OF WALLINGFOB-D, PENNSYLVANIA.

AGETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

Application filed February 17, 1919.

T 0 (4H whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWIN M. Rosan- BLUTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wallingford, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Acetylene-Gas Genera-tors, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

As far as I know; all acetylene gas generators are classified in two generic groups, to wit, first, those in which calcium carbid is directed into a body of water and, second, those in which water is directed into a mass of calcium carbid. Generators of the latter group are of two general classes, to wit, first, those in which the water is directed to the carbid against the action of gravity, for instance, by capillary attraction through a wick and, second, those in which the water gravitates to the carbid.

My improvement relates to generators of the type in which water is permitted to gravitate upon calcium carbid through means whereby the flow is regulated to determine the rate of generation of the acetylene and including a wick which serves to retard the flow of water. As hereinafter described, my invention is conveniently included in a portable lamp body, provided with a burner, combustion chamber, and chimney. However, it is to be understood that I do not desire t limit my invention to an embodiment including means for consuming the acetylene generated.

In the drawings: Fig. I is a side elevation ofa vehicle lamp conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a fragmentary central vertical sectional view of said lamp structure, taken on the line II, II in Fig. I.

Fig. III is a central vertical sectional view of the valve casing shown in Fig. II, but taken at right angles to the plane of section of that figure, on the line III, III in Fig. II.

Referring to Fig. I; said lamp structure is portable by means of the clamping bracket 1 having the screw 2 for clamping it upon a suitable support carried on a vehicle. Said structure includes thev separable carbid receptacle 3, the superimposed water receptacle 4:, and the burner casing 5 having the chimney 6. The valve 8 which is mounted in the valve casing 7, to which said bracket lis conveniently rigidly connected as indi- Serial No. 277,415.

cated, extends between said carbid rece tacle 3 and water receptacle and contro s the flow of water to the carbid, and permits the escape, through its axial vent 10, ofthe gas generated insaid carbid receptacle 3, after the water is shut off by turning said valve to the position shown in full lines in Fig. i. As hereinafter described, when said valve 8 is turned to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. I, the water is permitted to flow from said receptacle 4 to the carbid in said receptacle 3, and gas generated is prevented from escaping at said vent 10, but is permitted to ascend, through the body 12 of said valve 8, to the burner 13 in the flame casing 5; the normal flow of the gas to the burner being uncontrolled except by control of the flow of the water to the carbid.

Said carbid receptacle 3 is a cylindrical cup, in which ordinary commercial carbid may be placed (as indicated at 14: in Fig. 11,) upon the circular plate 15 which has the central tubular column 16, rigidly connected therewith, conveniently by solder 17 whereby said plate 15 may be lifted from said receptacle 3 to remove the carbid ash. Said column 16 serves as a conduit for the water to be supplied to the carbid and is conveniently provided with circular series of perforations 19 through which the water is uniformly distributed to said carbid.

In order to continuously maintain said carbid 14c in compact position to receive the water supplied thereto; I prefer to provide said carbid receptacle 3 with the annular plate '20, above the carbid, which is pressed thereon by the coiled spring 22 which encircles said column 16 and abuts, at its upper end, against the removable bottom plate 24L of said valve casing 7. Said plate 24 holds the gasket 25 in said valve casing 7, in position to bear upon and seal the upper edge of said carbid receptacle 3, which has diametrically opposite projections 26 forming an interrupted screw thread, for engagement with the diametrically opposite flanges 27 on said valve casing 7 which also form an interruptedscrew thread. Said plate 24 is removably secured by the nut 28 which engages the tubular stem 29 of said valve body 12 through which the water 30 is directed from said receptacle 4 into said column 16. Said body 12 has the conical seat 31 for said valve 8 which has the port 9 permitting the passage of water through said stem 29 when said Valve is turned to the position shown in full lines in Fig. II and in dotted lines in Fig. I. Said water is admitted to the passageway 32 controlled by said valve 8, through the horizontal ports 33 which are obstructed by 'awick '34, preferably formed of strands of Woolen yarn, the opposite ends of which are preferably upturned and secured by wire 35 encircling the gas tube36, leading to said burner 13. Said tube 36 is screwed into thesocket 37 in said valve body 1-2"through which the acetylene generated in the receptacle 6 is directed, through the ducts 88'leading from the chamber 40 in the valve casing 7,, to which the. gas is admitted from said receptacle 3 through the perforations 41 in said plate 24.

:It is to be particularly noted, with reference to Fig. III, that although said valve body 12'conveniently includes both the passageway 32- through which water is supplied to-thecarbid, and the ducts 38 through which gas is supplied to the burner 13; they are entirelyseparate, and the flow of gas to the burner is not controlledby said valve 8.

*However, said valve body 12also has the port 43,:shown in Fig. 11, which, when-said valve 8 isturned to the position shown in fulllines in Fig. I and in dotted lines in Fig. ILregisters with the port 45 in said valve, "which communicates with said vent 1O 'eiitending axially through the stem of said valve,"to the atmosphere. As shown in Fig. IL-the stem 'of said Valve 8 extends through the sleeve 46, which is screwed into said valve body 12 by engagement with its knurled flange a7 and has the annular flange 48 bearing uponthe rubber washer as which seals the opening in the valve easing 7 through which said sleeve 46 extends. Said valve 8 is maintained :inproper relation with said valve body 12 in the usual way, to wit, by the nut 51 engaging its threaded end 52 and bearing upon the washer 53 which bears upon said valve body 1.2 as shown in Fig. II,- and fitsaflat place on saidstem 52 which thus prevents said washer from turning. The'threaded end 52 of said valve 8 is flattened upon one side to engage said washer 53'and prevent rotation of the latter thereon during the turning movements of said valve. As indicated in Fig. II; said valve casing 7 is conveniently formed of a sheet metal stamping which is provided with protuben ances 55 which bear upon the bottom of the water receptacle 4, and through which rivets are extended and soldered to hold said receptacle 4 and easing 7 in the spaced relation best shown in Fig. I; the neck 56 upon said valve casing 7 being extended through the bottom of said receptacle and soldered'thereto, forininga seat for the rubher :gasket 58 which rests upon the annular shoulder59 and seals the joint between said valve body and the bottom of the water receptacle, The neck 60 on said water receptacle forms a seat for the gasket 61 en circling the gas tube 36. Said gasket 61 is pressed upon said neck 60, to seal the joint between said ater receptacle 4; and gas tube 36, by engagement is the burner collar 62 with. the screw threaded upper end of said tube 86; said collar having the knurled flange 63, by whichit may be conveniently rotated. V

Heretofore, acetylene gas generating lamps of the general designwhich I have chosen for illustration of my present invention, which is of the classshown in my Letters Patent of the United States Design No. 34571 dated May 28, 1901, have been so constructed and arranged that numerous soldering-operations were necessary to assemble the parts thereof; the controlling valves and their connect-ions being soldered in integral relation with the exterior casing members, for instance, as indicated in my Letters Patent of the United States l o.'815,- 745 dated March 20, 1906 and No. sea-par dated February 12, 1907, so that such parts are practically inaccessible when assembled, and any repairs thereofnecessitate melting the soldered connectionsand thus disrupting the entirestructure. In otlierfwords ,such structures of the prior art arenot onlyvery costly to manufacture, in View of theskilled labor required to assemble the parts thereof, but are extremely costly to repair. On the contrary, "the form of my invention abovedescribed is advantageous in that the controlling valve 8 and the parts connected therewith through which the water and gas are directed, are organized as a structure which is independent of the casing members which inclose it; so that-said valve and its appurtenances may not only be primarily assenr bled by unskilled operators, but may be removed from the casing members,with equal facility, and by unskilled operators, whenever it is necessary or desirable to inspect or repair the same. g

It may be observed that when the sleeve i6 is removed from the valve body 12, the latter may be assembled with its tube 36 in the position shown in Fig. 11, by merely tightening said collar 63. i Vhereupon, said sleeve as maybe screwed into the valve body 12 until it compresses said gasket 49 as shown in Fig. 11; thus completing the assembling operation. Of course, said parts may be disassembled and removed by reversing the operation aforesaid.

Of course, a valve structure suchas above described may be used without any means such as the wiclr ing'iia obstructing the flow of water'therethrongh; However, I prefer to employ such filamentary obstructing means fontwo purposes, to wit, first, as a porous medium in which the flow of water toward the carbid is opposed by the back pressure of gas generated from the carhid;

so that the water pressure and the gas pres sure are correlated to regulate the rate of gas generation in accordance with the capacity of theburner which is to be supplied. That is to say; if the burner capacity be increased, the back pressure of gas is thereby decreased, and, consequently, more water flows through said porous medium, and the rate of gas generation is thus increased until it overbalances the burner capacity for emis sion and the back pressure again increases to such a degree as to check the water flow. If the wick were omitted, no such effect would be obtainable, because there would be iothing to jointly hold the gas and water in opposition to each other; and the gas would merely bubble back through the water. Of course, the capacity for delivery of gas is determined by the area of the ports 33 in proportion to the area of the porous material therein. Adjustment in that respect may be effected by including more or less strands of wicking 34 in ports 33 of a given area. Second, such obstructing means serves as a filter to prevent the assage to the valve 8 of particles of deleterious matter which may be accidentally introduced into the water receptacle 1. Both of said purposes may be accomplished without the extension of the obstructing means beyond the restricted area of the ports 38. However, I prefer to extend said means, i. e., the wicking strands 34, unrestricted, into the water in the receptacle, because when the gas pressure overbalances the water pres sure in the compressed portion of said wicking, the gas discharged into the water receptacle forms bubbles upon the surface of the wicking strands at the entrances to said ports 33, opposing abnormal resistance to the fiow of water into said strands where thus covered by the bubbles of gas, which resistance is overcome more rapidly when the ends of the wicking arev extended beyond said entrances and are, consequently, unconfined and remain wetted. in other words, the extension of the ends of the wicking, unconfined, into the water, renders the capillary effect of each wicking strand available to resume the flow of water in opposition to the gas pressure.

Although I have found it convenient to illustrate my invention with reference to lamp structures of the type contemplated in my earlier Letters Patent aforesaid; it is to be understood that I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential features of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with an acetylene gas generating lamp structure including a carbid receptacle, a water receptacle above said carbid receptacle, and a valve casin interposed between aid two receptacles; of means arranged to direct the flow of water from said water receptacle to said carbid receptacle, and the flow of gas from said carbid receptacle; including a valve body in said valve casing, having a gas discharge tube extending upwardly through said water receptacle, a valve in said body, having a stem extending laterally, to the exterior of said valve casing; a sleeve encircling said valve stem and extending from said valve body to the exterior of said valve casing, sealing means, and screw means on said gas tube and valve sleeve normally connecting said two structures; whereby, upon release of said screw means, said valve structure may be removed from said lamp structure.

2. The combination with an acetylene gas generator structure, including a carbid receptacle and a water receptacle above said carbid receptacle; of a separable valve structure arranged to direct the flow of water from said water receptacle to said carbid receptacle, and the flow of gas from said carbid receptacle; including a valve body having a gas discharge tube extending upwardly through said water receptacle, a valve in said body having a stem extending laterally; a sleeve encircling said valve stem and extending from said valve body; sealing means and detachable screw means on said gas tube and valve sleeve, normally connecting said two structures; whereby, upon release of said screw means, said valve structure may be removed from said generator structure.

3. The combination with an acetylene gas generator structure, including a carbid receptacle and a water receptacle above said carbid receptacle; of a separable valve structure arranged to direct the flow of water from said water receptacle to said carbid receptacle, and the flow of gas from said carbid receptacle; including a valve body having a gas discharge tube extending upwardly through said water receptacle, a valve in said body, sealing means supported by said body beneath said water receptacle, sealing means on said tube above said water receptacle, and screw means on said gas tube, above said water receptacle; whereby, upon release of said screw means, said valve structure may be removed from said generator structure.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this tenth day of February, 1919.

EDWIN M. ROSENBLUTH. Witnesses:

M. McHUeH,

M. KEHOE. 

